Insurance companies step in to help storm victims

Photo by Barry Taglieber/The Mercury
A huge tree was uprooted on Anderson Avenue in Phoenixville during Wednesday's ice storm. Damage like this has resulted in lots of calls from to insurance agents from policy holders.

Morning rush hour traffic backs up on Route 422 eastbound in Amity Township after a motorist's vehicle was hit by a falling tree Wednesday morning. Photo by John Strickler/The Mercury

So far this winter, we have dug out, scraped out, thawed out and skidded out. And thanks to Wednesday’s ice storm, many of us have also “sawed” out.

Unfortunately, car accidents and tree damage related to the ice have left many with damage to their properties.

Up until this week, area insurance agents have been kept busy throughout the winter with car accidents.

Chris Iori, of Griffin and Griffin Financial Services/Collegeville Financial Group, said Wednesday he was busy, primarily with calls from homeowners who have trees down either on a structure or on their property. He expects more calls to come in the next day or so.

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“We encourage our clients to make sure they secure their properties first,” Iori said. “But they may be without power right now and not able to call us for 24 hours or so. I expect that calls about damage to cars will come on Thursday.”

Chris Rowe is the owner of Chris Rowe State Farm of Pottstown. He said that so far the winter has been “interesting” because there hasn’t been one huge storm, but rather, a lot of smaller ones.

“We have had our share of minor claims but nothing too drastic from any one single storm,” he said. “Today (Wednesday) presented more of a challenge because we had less snow and more ice, power outages and tree limbs. The storm has generated at the very least a lot of inquiries.”

For Cheryl Whitcombe, owner of Berkshire Insurance Services in Douglassville, the winter hasn’t been too bad in terms of claims from her 100 clients.

“My clientele are the kind of people who tend to be able to work from home, where if I had a younger base it might be a little different because they have to go out,” Whitcombe said. But she added that her agency, which deals with multiple insurance companies, has an emphasis on education.

“Our agency sends out newsletters about property maintenance — maintain so you’re not in a bad position when something like this happens.”

Tree maintenance when the weather is not bad is important. In fact, Iori said before his agency writes a new homeowner’s policy, they do an inspection of the property and take pictures — and if any trees need maintenance it must be done before the policy is written.

He added that it’s also important for drivers to pay attention to warnings about road conditions, and make sure they leave enough space between them and other cars on the road. He said his agency, which works with 95 different insurance companies, talks with policy owners about steps they can take to prevent accidents in winter weather.

When a client files a claim, Rowe said someone from the local State Farm claims office will go out to take a look at the damage. But when there are events like Wednesday’s ice storm, the company takes a slightly different response.

“Our catastrophe team is en route to the area right now,” he said. “They’ll help with claims that are associated specifically with this weather, which will allow the local claims office to focus on the day to day claims that come in.” The team has been used before — notably during Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

When it comes to insurance policies, the agents recommend clients do a yearly review when they policies renew — so there are no surprises when something happens.

One such surprise that some homeowners may be facing following the ice storm concerns whether a homeowners is covered if a tree falls on a property but misses any structures or vehicle. The short answer is — no.

“It is the structure and vehicles that are covered.” Iori added.

Another item that is not covered by homeowner’s insurance, according to Iori is flooding in basements caused by the back-up of a sump pump in basements, although it can be added.

“That is going to be an issue for some people in the coming days as all this snow melts,” he said.

Water damage from ice and snow on roofs may or may not be covered, depending on the company and the policy.

When it comes to filing a claim for damages, Whitcombe prefers her customers to call her before they file a claim, so she can take a look at their deductibles to see if it makes sense to file a claim.

“Sometimes putting in a small claim can mean the loss of a discount,” she said.

Each of the agents agrees that policyholders should never hesitate to call their agent or insurance company to get questions answered about coverage.

About the Author

Donna Rovins is business editor of The Mercury, developing, writing, planning and executing the daily local Business section. Reach the author at drovins@pottsmerc.com
or follow Donna on Twitter: @mercbiz.